Knock, Knock, Knocking On Jura’s Cask

On August 17th (only two days ago) Isle Of Jura malt whisky launched ‘Caskaway’, an online promotion providing fans of the single malt a unique and rare opportunity to own their very own cask from the Jura distillery (worth £10,000.)

And the cost for the cask?

Potentially Zero!

And presently (at time of blogging) that cost had gone down to £2,789!

The idea for the promotion came about because the islanders of Jura are quite a suspicious lot and they believe that knocking on wood before drinking a dram brings good fortune.

So over a period of 8 weeks, whisky lovers all over the world will have the chance to ‘knock’ on a cask of whisky worth £10,000 and try and earn some good fortune for themselves. For every knock on the whisky cask, the price will drop down by £1. At the end of the 8 weeks, one lucky participant will be chosen at random and given the opportunity to own the cask at its new price.

So if there are 10,000 knocks, the price will be £0!

But I think you can forget the eight weeks time period, this baby will be gone before eight days are out!

You’ll only get one chance to knock on the cask, but you can also invite friends and family to knock and bring the price down as low as possible. Those who share the good fortune with three friends or family members will be automatically entered into a weekly prize draw to win a bottle of Jura 16 year old.

There’s some information about the cask below but to be honest, I’d knock first and then read it. The price is coming down so fast that if you do it the other way round you’ll be reading about it historically – and missed your chance!

A final word from Distillery Manager, Willie Cochrane who said: “This is a once in a lifetime chance for real whisky lovers to own a truly unique single malt from the Isle of Jura. Having tried a drop of it myself, I can vouch for certain that the lucky owner will not be disappointed. And the best thing about it is that every year the whisky will mature and change in flavour, due to its longer maturation in the Oloroso sherry butt. So bring some good fortune into your lives and get knocking!”

Now get knocking on Jura’s door!

The cask

The malt whisky itself started life maturing in American white oak, before being transferred to an Oloroso sherry cask where it will be left to mature over the years. The sherry wood acts as a silk coat wrapped around this elegant spirit, bringing citrus fruits and crushed almonds with whispers of parma violets and walnuts.

Although the special cask will remain on the island, the lucky owner will receive a handful of cases each year. In fact, providing the angels don’t take too big a share, the owner can look forward to receiving a total of 100 bottles from this unique cask. Each year’s release will taste different as the whisky matures longer in the sherry cask.

About Jura

Off the west coast of Scotland lies one of nature’s best kept secrets, the Isle of Jura. Populated by a community of less than 200, known as Diurachs (the Gaelic name for the people of Jura), it is a place of myth, legend and intrigue – and an award-winning range of single malt whiskies which hold the promise of good fortune for all those that believe.

There are four classic bottlings in the Jura Collection: Origin 10, Superstition, Diurach’s Own and Prophecy. Many of the Jura whiskies have their own distinctive drinking rituals, but one cuts across the range. Islanders believe that it brings good fortune to knock on wood before they drink a dram.